(3) Oregon vs (7) Michigan
I remember when Zak Irvin and Derrick Walton Jr. were the hotshot freshmen that led Michigan into a promising new era following their 2013 championship appearance. While they never led the Wolverines back, the seniors certainly went on one incredible run in this year's postseason. After the Louisville game, I thought this team was destined for April glory, and that's why Oregon deserves all the credit in the world. When Walton missed that game-winning shot at the buzzer, a new team of destiny rose from the ashes: Oregon. Losing Chris Boucher before the tournament seemed like a death blow to the Ducks. I had them losing to Rhode Island in the second round. But behind the heroics of Tyler Dorsey and Jordan Bell, Oregon now finds itself one game away from an improbable Final Four berth. I know myself and many others wrote off the Ducks early, but I now think they have a pretty good chance of actually winning this whole thing.
(1) Gonzaga vs (4) West Virginia
The Zags are real, people. Deal with it. On the heels of one of the worst last possessions in March Madness history, Gonzaga escaped West Virginia and its ravenous press to clinch its place in the Elite Eight. In all fairness, Gonzaga played its worst game of the year, and while the Mountaineers certainly had a hand in that, we have to respect the Zags for not crumbling under the pressure, as many expected they would. Gonzaga is now one win away from its first Final Four ever. This is a ride or die situation for Gonzaga: If they win, they shut up all the haters and naysayers forever. Lose, and they will pounce more fiercely than ever before. As for West Virginia, the same doubts and issues remain. Clearly, the press was effective, and they had the expected run for a 4-seed, but there will always be something missing or unfulfilled until West Virginia makes an actual deep run in the tournament.
(1) Kansas vs (4) Purdue
They Rock, they Chalk, and they f#&kin Jayhawk. Kansas's dominant performance against Purdue on Saturday proved them as one of the heavyweights as the field grows smaller. Many people had concerns about the Jayhawks' lack of size going up against Purdue's surplus of it, but Kansas snuffed out any doubt with a 98-66 win centered around stellar guard play. I'm considering them the odds on favorite to win the championship (I had them at the beginning as well) because of Frank Mason III. There is no stopping him. He can drive, shoot and finish with the best of them. Purdue's exit leaves a lot of question marks. We don't know the fate of Caleb Swanigan, but if he decides to stay, Purdue can be a force in the Big Ten once again with Carsen Edwards and incoming freshman Nojel Eastern.
(2) Arizona vs (11) Xavier
I'm not really about the whole conference pride thing, but the BEast reigns supreme. Xavier wouldn't even be in the tournament if they didn't beat Butler in the Big East Tournament, and now they managed to outlast both Butler and Villanova by getting to the Elite Eight. What Chris Mack has done with this team (which lost their NBA point guard Edmond Sumner for the season before postseason play) has been nothing short of remarkable. Trevon Bluiett, JP Macura (or should we call him "Myles Fox Morrissey"), Sean O'Mara and a bunch of other dudes you haven't heard of have led this team to new heights. Now we get the losers. IT WAS ALL RIGHT THERE, MAN! Arizona had it all set up for them: an 11-seed in the Sweet 16, then a "weak 1-seed" in the Elite Eight, then the winner of a 3-4-7-8 mashup in the East. Then they lost to Xavier. And now Sean Miller will get feces hurled at him once again for not getting Arizona to the Final Four. If it didn't happen this year, then when?
(1) North Carolina vs (4) Butler
This marked the turning point of the Sweet 16, The first day was great, but then North Carolina snapped us all back to reality with a blowout win over Butler. The season obviously didn't end the way Butler wanted it to, but if anyone at the beginning of the season had Butler making the second weekend, they would have been laughed at profusely. Butler played really well and beat a lot of good teams, including Villanova twice. So yeah, it isn't all bad for Butler, they just ran into a freight train. North Carolina is currently my second pick to win the whole thing, behind Kansas. Their utilization of size and shooting makes them a feared matchup for any team, and it they shoot like they did against Butler for the rest of the tournament, there's no team that can beat them.
(3) Baylor vs (7) South Carolina
Welp. Baylor is kind of in the same boat as Arizona but to a lesser degree. They've had decent regular seasons but horrible postseasons. They were also put into a great situation to get to the Final Four, but they blew it. They were the highest seed remaining in the Region of Life, but they didn't focus and got ran out of the gym by South Carolina. As for South Carolina, what a run they've put together, eh? I consider this more of a surprise than Xavier just because the SEC is not a basketball conference whatsoever. But hey, they got three teams in the Elite Eight so maybe we should consider the whole conference strength thing right? Anyone see that Frank Martin meltdown when his team was up by like 15 points? That's the kind of intensity you need if you want to win the championship. Something to think about.
(2) Kentucky vs (3) UCLA
I think we can all agree in me saying that this was the most anticipated game of the Sweet 16. Despite all the pregame hype, however, this game wasn't spectacular. Kentucky dominated the entire second half behind the wizardry of De'Aaron Fox, who solidified himself as better than Lonzo Ball--you heard it here first--last night. Throughout the game, Ball didn't seem like he was trying on defense, and his shot selection was poor. Fox, on the other hand, was in control of the game and took what the defense gave him--everything. Not to mention that Malik Monk finally caught fire. Kentucky is finally looking like the team we all expected it to be in November, and they might just win a championship because of it. UCLA lost because they gave zero effort on the defensive end. Repetitive, but true. To be honest, that all starts with Ball. Sure he had a few mesmerizing passes, but aside from that he played terrible. Everyone is talking about his leadership skills, but yesterday UCLA looked flustered out there, and he was a major reason why.
(4) Florida vs (8) Wisconsin
The Wicked Witch of the Midwest is finally dead! Rejoice! Wisconsin lost in the most Wisconsin way possible, and I couldn't be happier because of it. The Badgers have gotten every call, every break, and every scumbag coach cover up over the past three years, and today, the struggle is finally over. Wisconsin couldn't just lose on their own, another team had to put the nail in the coffin. Florida survived a wild ride, but Chris Chiozza's buzzer beater gave them the one-point win to put the Gators in the Elite Eight. So now, we get an all-SEC Elite Eight game, which I'm not that angry at because these are two of the hottest teams in the country. And Wisconsin lost.
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